Guide To OURfest, Philly’s Massive Coming Out Day Celebration

PHILADELPHIA, October 2, 2023 – Philly celebrates love and acceptance with a big weekend full of LGBTQ+ events for National Coming Out Day.

The Philadelphia OURfest: National Coming Out Parade and Festival recognizes the journey and resilience of the LGBTQ+ community with a massive parade and a day-long festival in Center City East.

Festivities include live performances, artists and vendors, food trucks and mobile bars, a resource fair, an activity-filled family zone (with bounce houses, game trucks and more) and the unfurling of a huge 200-foot Pride flag.

Philadelphia OURfest 2023 is made up of multiple events:

• Kick-off events start on Friday, October 6, 2023.
• The parade takes place on Saturday, October 7, 2023 from 4 to 6 p.m.
• The festival goes down Sunday, October 8, 2023 from noon to 7 p.m.

The Experience

Philadelphia OURfest: National Coming Out Parade and Festival is open to all, especially LGBTQ+ members and allies.

OURfest (standing for Our Uniting Resilience) officially begins with kick-off events on Friday, October 6, 2023 — and the festivities only ramp up over the weekend.

Parade

OURfest’s National Coming Out Parade takes place on Saturday, October 7, 2023, from 4 to 6 p.m. The historic celebration starts at 5th & Market streets and flows to Broad & Locust streets.

The parade features a series of LGBTQ+ floats, live performances, and sections for pioneers and community leaders, youth and families, local organizations, sports and recreation, drag artists and more.

Plus, get ready for the return of the record-breaking 200-foot Progress Pride flag, which originally debuted at the Pride March & Festival this past June.

Festival

The party continues the next day with the OURfest National Coming Out Festival and Resource Fair, taking place all across the Gayborhood on Sunday, October 8, 2023, from 12 to 7 p.m.

This vibrant street fest and resource fair captures the spirit of Philly’s LGBTQ+ community, with festivities including art and music by local artists, speeches and live entertainment, food trucks, makers and craft vendors, family programming, education and wellness resources, and ceremonies.

Festival highlights include:

• OURstage, a collaboration showcasing performers and producers that don’t have a traditional brick-and-mortar venue
• The Philadelphia Muses Stage, featuring a lineup of bands, choirs, DJ sets and other performers, plus a ceremony awarding the inaugural Ms., Mx. and Mr. Ourfest 2023
• The Youth and Family Zone, a spacious area with bounce houses, changing stations, game trucks and other age-appropriate programming
• The Food Truck Market, selling a wide variety of bites and sips from East Coast vendors
• Sober Vibes, an alcohol-free space hosted at Writer’s Block Rehab which offers a creative menu of zero-proof drinks and adult-oriented entertainment
• Kiki Alley, a celebration space highlighting the rich history and culture of Philly’s ballroom community
• Bailar con Amor, a section celebrating the LGBTQ+ Latino community and Afro-Latino culture, art, dance and expression
• The Decompression Zone, a space for attendees in need of a low-volume and relaxing place to celebrate, complete with shaded seating and accessible bathrooms
• Resources including medical tents, education and employment services, and VICE, an 18+ space offering safe sex products and workshops on topics like kink and consent.

For more information on festival attractions, visit the official website.

Getting There

Parade

The OURfest parade starts at 5th & Market streets and ends at Broad & Locust streets.

While street parking can be found all around in the surrounding neighborhoods, large stretches will be closed off to traffic for the parade. The easiest bet? Public transportation.

Several SEPTA buses drop off near the parade and the 5th Street Independence Hall station of SEPTA’s Market/Frankford subway line will leave you just feet from the starting point.

Cyclists can also take easy advantage of the Indego bike rental stations all around the neighborhood.

Festival

The OURfest festival takes place all throughout the Gayborhood — aka Midtown Village — between 13th & Walnut streets and 12th & Spruce streets.

If you want a hassle-free trip, public transit is the way to go — and both the Walnut-Locust subway stop on SEPTA’s Broad Street Line and the Jefferson Station stop on SEPTA’s Regional Rail leave you just minutes away from the fun.

With so much happening on festival day, driving isn’t recommended. (However, there are parking lots a few blocks away.)

For more info on the Philadelphia OURfest: National Coming Out Parade and Festival, visit the OURfest website.